Council chief’s salary to rise to £109,000

Oli Poole

ARUN District Council chief executive Nigel Lynn will receive a three per cent pay rise after councillors approved proposals last night (Wednesday, January 14).

Mr Lynn’s salary will rise from £106,318 to £109,508, following the resolution by full council.

Liberal Democrat councillors argued for a one per cent rise, in line with ‘most staff members’, but were defeated.

Supporters of the three per cent performance-related rise argued Mr Lynn was a ‘strong leader’ and had met targets.

Lib Dem deputy leader James Walsh said: “It’s a great pity we can’t have a referendum on this, because I know what the answer would be.

“It’s about giving the right signals that we value all of Arun’s staff equally.”

Reports to full council noted Mr Lynn’s salary was the lowest for a chief executive in West Sussex, despite being one of the largest in the area in terms of population.

Councillor Norman Dingemans said: “I think the record that the chief executive has demonstrated over the time he has been with us deserves more than one per cent, which still leaves him lower than anybody else in similar authorities.”

Councillor Phil Hitchins said Mr Lynn was a ‘strong leader’ and if the council paid ‘rubbish’ it ‘would get rubbish’.

Tory cabinet member Paul Dendle said they were working with the realities of a market economy, noting planning officers had left Arun as salaries were better elsewhere.